Top NBA Draft Prospects in the Big East, Part Three (#11-15)October 9, 2010Matt Kamalsky

The last time we checked in on Austin Freeman he was fresh off an exceptionally efficient freshman year that he struggled to duplicate as a sophomore. The former consensus top-15 recruit got his act together last season despite missing some practice time after being diagnosed with diabetes mid-season, and while Georgetown ended the year with a disappointing upset loss in the first round of the NCAA Tournament to Armon Bassett and the Ohio Bobcats, Freeman found his stroke and enters this season as the preseason Big East Player of the Year. A strong candidate to assume many of the possessions left behind by Greg Monroe, Freeman should have an excellent senior season, but he has some work to do to earn a spot in next summer's draft.

Despite his ability to score in bunches and put up gaudy efficiency numbers as a second-option on the college level, Freeman is undersized for a shooting guard and lacks the wingspan that would make his height less concerning. Built more like a fullback than a shooting guard, Freeman is able to bully his way to the basket at the college level and uses his strength exceptionally well once he clears his man's hip. He is deceptively quick for a player of his build, but he plays below the rim, lacks lateral quickness, and doesn't have ideal physical tools for a NBA shooting guard, limiting his upside.

As it stands, Freeman's lack of ideal athleticism is the biggest obstacle hindering him from being an intriguing prospect. He brings plenty to the table offensively. His value on that end the floor starts with his jump shooting ability. After seeing his three point percentage dip from the 40% he shot as a freshman to 30% as a sophomore, Freeman bounced back in a big way as a junior to the tune of a 44.4% mark from distance. Ranking highly in both three point percentage and true shooting amongst players in our database, the Dematha HS was at his best last season when he could set his feet on the perimeter and using his mechanically sound shooting form and quick release to make opposing defenses pay from beyond the arc.

Capable of putting up big scoring numbers on any given night, Freeman has developed some offensive tools that complement his shooting very well at the college level. His exceptional basketball IQ and physical strength make him a threat off the dribble as well. Adept at taking what a defender gives him, Freeman is a decent shooter off the dribble, and is fairly prolific taking one-dribble pull ups from inside the arc, but struggles to convert short range jumpers when he can't get to the rim. Using simple straight line drives and not attempting to get fancy, Freeman got to the basket at a good rate last season, and while he doesn't get to the line at a good rate, he shot a very respectable 63.6% as a finisher.

Defensively, Freeman uses his strength well to deny penetration, but struggles against quicker players and doesn't change directions well enough to keep up with dynamic ball-handlers. He competes and has solid fundamentals, which gets him by for the most part at the college level, but doesn't add much against quicker high-major guards and doesn't project well to the next level.

Freeman's value as a NBA player resides in his ability to knock down shots from the perimeter and play low-mistake basketball. As we've noted in the past, he simply isn't a high upside player. A sound passer who can work off of screens and stretch the floor, Freeman is very much a known commodity at this point. Scouts are familiar with his game and his limitations, but width a big season, he could earn some buzz. A potential Portsmouth Invitational invitee, Freeman might not be an elite prospect, but he's poised to be a key player for one of Big East's best teams. [Read Full Article]Top NBA Draft Prospects in the Big East (Part Three: #11-15)October 30, 2008Like many freshman, Freeman had a debut season in which he showed flashes of brilliance mixed with periods of inconsistency. Through the good and the bad, he remained one of the more efficient freshman in the season, combining an outstanding field goal percentage with above average decision making for a shooting guard. The departure of seniors Roy Hibbert and Jonathan Wallace, along with the transfer of Jeremiah Rivers will open up plenty of opportunity for Freeman on the offensive end.

Size isn’t on Freeman’s side, given that he is 6’4 and not especially long. His athleticism has suffered a bit since his high school days with some of the weight he has gained, reportedly weighing around 235 pounds last season. A strong player for his size, he utilizes his strength on both ends of the hardwood to its fullest capabilities.

The main selling point on Freeman as a prospect is his ability to shoot the ball from the perimeter. He is perfectly comfortable shooting the ball off of the dribble, from a static position, or on the move with the same effortless motion. The D.C. native has some serious range that extends out to the NBA three point line, but also possesses a nice pull-up game from mid-range to keep defenders honest.

Freeman is fairly limited in terms of ball handling skills and owns a quite average first step. However, he has proven to be a capable slasher on occasion because of his high basketball IQ and sturdy body. It was not uncommon to see the sophomore barrel his way into the lane and finish (with either hand) once or twice a game against taller defenders, while absorbing contact.

There is a considerable amount of room for improvement on the defensive end for Austin. Struggling guarding shooting guards, he often was asked to guard the opposing team’s small forward last year, despite being only 6’4. He just didn’t seem to have the foot speed to keep up with quicker swingmen, whereas he was able to rely upon his strength a little more when guarding small forwards.

Certainly not a player who is going to blow anyone away with his NBA upside, Freeman is a player who appears to be on pace to put up some solid scoring numbers over the remainder of his career. Though he will likely finish his collegiate career as the primary option for Georgetown, he will have to obviously adjust his game if he hopes to stick around the NBA. Regardless, we are looking at a very productive freshman who has plenty of time to prove himself to NBA personnel. [Read Full Article]NCAA Weekly Performers, 01/15/2008 – Part OneJanuary 15, 2008Although not quite as productive as some of his McDonald’s All-American counterparts, Austin Freeman is nonetheless having an excellent freshman season, playing an important starting role for one of the best teams in the NCAA, and doing so with incredible efficiency.

Known as a scorer in high school, Freeman has done very little to disprove that notion so far, averaging just under 10 points per game in 24 minutes while shooting an incredible 59% from the field and over 42% from behind the 3-point line. Freeman seems to have made an extremely wise choice with the college he chose for himself, as he has both found himself plenty of minutes right off the bat in his college career playing at the very highest level of competition, but also fits in like a glove in John Thompson III’s system, making it easy for him to adjust to the college game so quickly.

Although he’s somewhat undersized for the shooting guard position at 6-4, Freeman possesses a strong build, which he uses to the fullest. He’s not an explosive player by any means, but uses the tools he has to their fullest—not being forced to go out of his element at this point, and seemingly not having a problem with that from the way he’s been playing.

Freeman’s best attribute as a player and draft prospect (down the road) revolves heavily around his jump-shot. He has picture perfect mechanics, NBA range and an incredibly quick release, to go along with superb confidence to come off a curl and fire away the moment he sees even a glimmer of daylight, even in clutch situations. He moves off the ball intelligently both within Georgetown’s rigid half-court offense and also outside of it, finding open spots for himself playing off his teammates’ post-ups, and being especially deadly if left open in transition, where he gets a good deal of his shot opportunities.

Even though he can get his jumper off quickly, rarely do you see Freeman take a bad shot, as he’s incredibly poised and mature for such a young player, which is another reason he seems to have gained the coaching staff’s trust so quickly. The fact that he’s already one of the most efficient players in the country (ranked first in points per possession and first in true shooting percentage among draft prospects) speaks volumes for that. His jumper seems to lose some accuracy in off the dribble mode, but we haven’t seen him take enough of these to gauge that with complete confidence.

Although he’s somewhat of a one dimensional player for Georgetown here in his freshman season (partially due to Georgetown’s system and partially due to his status in their pecking order as an offensive option), Freeman shows some signs of being capable of doing more once he’ll be called upon later on in his career. He’s a very fundamental offensive player, capable of posting up in the paint (using his very mature body to look for turnaround jumpers), or cutting to the basket for a handoff or back-door cut—all staples of this offense.

He finishes very intelligently at the rim as well, utilizing both hands and showing excellent touch and creativity to make up for his lack of explosiveness, along with great strength. He’ll also come up with an occasional offensive rebound at times, looking willing to fight inside and having somewhat of a nose for being in the right place at the right time. He doesn’t have great size or lateral quickness on the defensive end, but is intelligent and competes on this end of the floor, which if often more than enough at the collegiate level, especially when you have a monster like Roy Hibbert behind you who can quickly erase any mistakes his guards make on the perimeter.

Even though he looks like a superb college player in the making already, there are some doubts that arise when starting to gauge his NBA potential—as early as it might be to start thinking about that. His physical tools can’t be considered anything more than below average for an NBA shooting guard, when you look at his height, his average first step, his lack of explosiveness at the rim, and his unimpressive lateral quickness. He could probably still stand to tone up his body to better maximize his physical potential--which will likely help--but he’ll probably never be considered a prospect with great upside as far as his draft stock is concerned, and thus will have to win over NBA scouts the old fashioned way—by producing and winning. There are many players in his mold (think David Wesley, Voshon Lenard) who have made fantastic careers in the NBA, so he’s surely someone to keep an eye on considering the many different things he brings to the table, even if he isn’t your prototypical early-entry candidate. [Read Full Article]Nike Jordan All-American Classic: Main Event Recap – Yellow TeamMay 1, 2007Austin Freeman lived up to his reputation as a player that can score in bunches here, remaining quiet for most of the game, then going on a tear late in the game over a seven or eight minute period, scoring the vast majority of his points during that timespan. Freeman scored twice in the first half, once on a nice hesitation dribble driving left, in which he laid the ball off the glass with his left hand, and the other on a buzzer-beater running three-pointer from about 35 feet out to end the half, banking it off the glass.

In the second half, Freeman went on a tear late, scoring on a bunch of right-handed drives, mostly by getting separation through screens and having a straight-line to the hoop, but occasionally creating separation for himself and faking to get his man off balance for the shot attempt. He also converted on a back-door lay-up off a pass down low, and hit a fade-away jumper from eight feet off a stray rebound. Freeman missed on a few contested and off-balanced mid and long-range shots throughout the game, and his shot selection is something he might want to pay closer attention to when he isn’t very hot. Freeman went on some really hot streaks shooting the long ball in shootarounds during the practices in the days before the games, but wasn’t able to show off much of his outside shooting ability in the main event. [Read Full Article]McDonald's All America Game Practices: Day TwoMarch 27, 2007 The next in the line of great Dematha HS products was excellent in the scrimmage session that the East squad conducted during Monday morning’s practice session. He just finds ways to put the ball through the hoop, whether it be through his underrated outside shooting ability or his knack for finishing inside with his outstanding strength. Freeman put on quite the show in the Powerade Jam Fest, considering his thin build, making Kevin Durant’s description of Austin’s “quiet bounce” completely accurate. [Read Full Article]Spalding HoopHall Classic Player ReportJanuary 18, 2007Freeman had a “quiet” 25 points in his matchup against the oft-out of control Antonio Jardine. While Jardine took control of the action for his team from tip-off, Freemen quietly picked his spots until the close of the game, where he began to be more aggressive.

Freeman has a beautiful shot, its smooth and effortless. He is a much better shooter on the catch-and-shoot or spot up than he is on the pull up, but is effective on both. Freemen also has great strength for a 2 guard. He doesn’t get knocked off his stride easily by contact and is able to finish shots in the paint while in motion without losing his soft touch.

Freeman seems to be pretty active on the glass as well. He followed his own misses on a number of occasions and was able to fight inside amongst taller players to secure the possession. Defensively, he’s got quick hands, but is more active when his opponent is in motion than he is playing him straight up. Freeman is a shooter for sure, but he recognizes when the shot is not there and has good peripheral vision to find the open man once he’s drawn defensive help. He and Chris Wright should make a nice tandem in Georgetown’s backcourt next season, especially with Roy Hibbert and Jeff Green inside. [Read Full Article]Las Vegas AAU Summer Tournaments: Thoughts from Day ThreeJuly 25, 2006Freeman was the leading scorer on a DC Assault squad loaded with four of the top 25 players in the nation. He showed all fans in attendance why he’s rated as one of the elite shooting guards in the country with us deep three point range, strong finishing ability, and great strength. The Georgetown recruit is seemingly on anytime he’s on the court, as he can score from virtually anywhere on the floor. In terms of weaknesses, it’s a rarity to see Austin exert much effort on the defensive end, due to the fact that he’s so concerned with scoring. He does however have all of the tools to become a good defender, and I’m sure the Hoya coaching staff will make that a point of emphasis.

It’s a bit tough to get an accurate feel for players on DC Assault due to the fact that they have so many of the nation’s top players, but Freeman seems to always put up the most points of the group. It’s going to be interesting to see how he accepts his role at Georgetown, and if he’s able to live up to the lofty expectations that many within recruiting circle predict for him as a freshman. [Read Full Article]